Top 5 Underwater Photography Tips

Now many of us like to take our cameras and housings on dives to take photos of all the wonderful things we see.  We see a variety of different systems, from little compact point and shoot cameras to large SLR systems with multiple strobes.  No matter what you have, here are 5 top tips for photographers as suggested by Tree, our former in-house photographer.

Before you even touch the camera...Buoyancy

Before we're even looking at the camera, buoyancy control is the number one thing you will need to master.  If your buoyancy is off, you will have a hard time getting the camera to stay where you want it to be pointing.

Solution: practice buoyancy control in shallow water with your camera e.g. taking pictures of fixed objects from various distances without touching the bottom, holding the camera as still as possible.  Examine your results afterwards to see what improved and what didn't.  If your buoyancy needs more work than that, we offer the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty, where you spend two dives REALLY fine-tuning your buoyancy control.

Camera Controls

If you are using anything more powerful than the most basic point and shoot, one of the first things to master is your camera controls.  For different types of photo, you will undoubtedly be switching between modes on the camera - using different settings.  Ideally, you should be able to switch between the modes that you use blindfolded.  Why?  Imagine this: you have just been taking a macro shot of a very small pederson cleaner shrimp, when you back away from the reef and turn around, you are faced with a spotted eagle ray cruising by...Better be quick on those settings!

Understanding Exposure: White Balance and strobes

Colour at depth.  You may remember the colour comparison exercise from your PADI Advanced Open Water deep dive - you lose colour with depth.  That's why many people's underwater photos have that blue/green cast…White balance is your solution!  The other way to overcome this problem is of course to use strobes, but that isn't always an option (depending on your camera/luggage allowance/budget).  At the very least, having the option to set custom white balance on your camera is a MUST if you're intending to capture the best of our reef.

Understanding Exposure: Depth of Field and ISO

Having a basic understanding of some photographic principles will help you get the most out of your shots, rather than just leaving your camera fully automatic.  The PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course that we offer teaches you some of the theory behind some of these concepts.  When you understand those, you will start to take photos on different settings - and you will start to get results.  Digital cameras actually record all this information (EXIF data) so you can actually check what settings you used to take the photo.  Essential for knowing what works and what doesn't

And finally...Practice!

Take photos, take more photos and take more photos again!  Keep taking photos, and you will start getting some serious results!!

Destroyer of Conch is watching YOU!

Half Moon Bay Weather Report

Hot and humid, with a hint of a breeze.

Recent Sightings

Seahorse @ Dixies

Leopard Flatworm @ El Aquario (Deep)

Pea (Post-larval trunkfish) @ Overheat Reef (and various other places)

4 Spotted Eagle Rays together!!! @ Seaquest (Deep)

PS: Join the blog if you are reading this page!

Where's my manners?

As with any activity that involves other people there's always an element of etiquette in diving, whether it's on the boat or underwater, that is one of the things that sets apart the experienced diver from the novice.  Some of these things are not exactly written in stone (and by "stone" I mean the PADI Open Water manual!), but rather things you learn from experience by expanding your scuba diving experience.

Here are 5 top tips that will enhance your diving experience here at Coconut Tree Divers!  Can YOU come up with any more?  Leave us a comment!

Island time and the boat schedule

We may be on a Caribbean island where the pace definitely isn't as hectic as elsewhere, but there's one thing that operates like clockwork: our boat schedule.  It's designed for you guys to get the most out of your dives, but it only really works if we leave on time!  Give yourself plenty of time to grab your free coffee, get your equipment set up without feeling rushed - it only makes for a better, more relaxed dive.

Where's my fins??

We keep our groups small, so you're not gonna be crowded underwater, but you are sharing the boat with other divers.  Try to keep your equipment spread to a minimum, that way you also know where all your stuff is.  You wouldn't want to miss jumping in with your snorkel gear when we have dolphins swimming with our boat just because you can't find your mask!

Soap in the bucket

For those of you that like snapping shots during your dive, we have a fresh water bucket for you to store your camera between dives.  The most important thing with the bucket is to make sure that the water stays fresh - we don't want any chemicals or anti-fog agents in the bucket.  The reason is that those chemicals can compromise the o-rings in the camera housings.  If you are going to rinse your mask on the boat, we provide a scoop so you can scoop the water out away from the bucket.

Brief me!

We try to tailor our dives so that divers with similar experience levels are matched up to hit the best dive sites for your level as a diver (more information on our daily dive schedule can be found here).  If you are a more experienced diver, we don't believe in "babysitting" you, but if you are a little unsure of your self we will make sure that you are more closely supervised.  The main thing is that all that kind of information is always given in our thorough pre-dive briefings - make sure you pay attention  It's all about your safety (safety first!) and your enjoyment.  We want you to get what you want out of your dives!

THIS is a Marine Park

After all, you're here to dive, so we want you to enjoy it.  Follow the dive plan, get to know your dive buddy (we will always supply you with one, no worries about travelling alone!), and follow the marine park protocols.  Take only pictures, leave only bubbles, touch only with your eyes!  If we're looking at the more macro aspects of the reef (ie something really really small and really really cool!) be nice, and point it out to the person coming up behind you, we want all of you to see it!

And finally....

ENJOY YOUR DIVE!!!

Half Moon Bay Weather Report

Hot, but thankfully with some breeze.

Recent Sightings

A collection of flamingo tongues @ Blue Channel

Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter....and Join the Blog!

Like, Follow, Join (Facebook, Twitter, Blog)

As you can no doubt see, we have launched our new website, which also has a direct link to this blog (which is being gradually improved as you read).  The whole site was redesigned from scratch and all the content has been updated to reflect what is actually going on, as well as all the standards and prices for all our PADI Courses and DSAT Tec Courses.  Don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have.

In other social media, you can find us on Twitter (@CoconuTreeDiver) where Marco will keep you updated on everything from the day's dives to the progress of the West End Road Project!  Our Facebook page (Coconut Tree Divers & Go Pro Caribbean) has also grown enormously - this is where we post our photos and videos from dives regularly.  If you are reading this post join the blog, we need more followers!  Reviews on TripAdvisor have also played a huge part in helping us improve our shop.   If you haven't already, write us a review (we don't want West End Divers to catch up!) and tell the world what you liked best about diving with Coconut Tree Divers.

Shop News

Wetsuits and fins have been reorganised in anticipation of a stock take.

If you've done your PADI Advanced Open Water with us, it's likely that you've swam through our hula-hoops (or attempted to!) for swimthrough/efficient fin kick training.  Well now, Tree has built us a beautiful new PVC ring for our PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy dives.

Monty has just started a DSAT Trimix course with former DMTs Toby and Katy (Air Sucks, Trimix Rocks!).

Recent Sightings

Pipehorse @ Blue Channel

Spotted Eagle Rays @ Gibson Bight

Spotted Eagle Rays @ Lighthouse Reef

Leopard Flatworm @ Half Moon Bay Wall

Hammerhead @ Texas

Gaudy Clown Crab @ Gibson Bight

Half Moon Bay Weather Report

Seriously hot, seriously humid.  Night Rain.